1 word - embarresment. Yes I expected a defeat, a heavy defeat at that. But not that pathetic show. Puts it in to perspetive when you see how well Crusaders and Quins played, I know we played a very good team but I think a similar result would have happened against anyone today. Something must change.

The players arent good enough and the same applies with McCrae!!!!!!!

Yesterday was a disgraceful performance the players just didnt seem up for it with the exception of Ratchford who i feel might not be here next season!!!!!
The players in our squad are just not SL standard and no where good enough for this league Sibbit,Littler,M.Smith,Boyle,Gibson,Tyrer,Alker,Sidlow too name a few. NL they would do well but the signings McCrae has made are well below par with the exception and Holdsworth and maybe Broughton. I would rather of seen him give the youngsters from the 21's a chance than bring in players who couldnt get in there previous team.
Why oh why did Littler start in 2nd row? Why did Ratchford play in centre when he's our most creative player and his natural postion is in the halves aswell as being alot better than M.Smith.
Since Harrison left we've gone downhill badly from reaching the playoffs to being back at the bottom of the league being the whipping boys yet again.
Its time for Mcrae to walk away now. I believe now is the time especially with the new stadium around the corner for a fresh start with a new coach with new ideas. Season after season I get my hopes up but the team never delivers.
Im sick of hearing the same excuses week after week the fact is McCrae has no answers because i think the players have lost faith in the coach.

But what good coach would come to Salford at present? The playing staff is mostly second-rate but that is due to lack of funds, and that won't change until you move stadium - and even then only gradually. Rachford looks a class act and Matty Smith kept trying: probably neither of them will be at the club next season. I'd think of getting Karl Harrison back: at least he might want to prove why he never should have been sacked in the first place.

Gents Don't be too hard on yourselves. You played a VERY good team and got beat. You'll come back.

I cannot accept this arguement that we should just take this result on the chin and it isn't the coach's fault.

These players are full time professionals appearing on a big stage. If they were coached properly and had pride in the shirt you would never concede 68 points. NO MATTER WHO YOU WERE PLAYING.

John Kear and Wakefield
Mcrae and Salford
Spot the difference

On the way back from Castleford I said things couldn't any worse. I was wrong.

I think Salford will struggle to attract a top line coach whilst Simms is around. Any coach coming in will want a onr-to-one elationship with the Board and Chief Exec. Simms muddies the waters somehat for mine.

Also, what is the deal with playing Ratchford out wide? The guy is all class and has the ability to control a game. but he certainly isn't going to do that if he isn't in the middle.

Why do you want to get rid of McRae, I think he's doing a cracking job?

He hasn't shown much ability to control a game so far this season.

We were on the back foot from the word go due to the number of cheap penalties given away. Warrington took full advantage without having to get out of 2nd gear. McRae needs to do something about Ste Tyrer. Either take him out of the team or give him some help defensively. At the moment he is a glaring weak link in the defence and his confidence has gone. He is missing too many one on ones. The problem was there for all to see in the Wigan game and nothing has changed.

Some of the defence I saw yesterday is the worse i've seen in watching nearly 40 years of Salford. For a centre to walk past a prop, 2nd rower, hooker and half back and plonk the ball down under the sticks (and i'm talking about Chris Bridge here not Mal Meninga) is not acceptable. The same goes for Vinnie Andersons try, the defensive line just gave up.

On a positive note we looked fairly decent with ball in hand and I know its pointless but the try we had disallowed looked on-side to me however the ref didn't bother going to the screen.

Fair play to Richie Myler as well. After the stick he got at the HJ it would have been very easy to rub our noses in it but his lack of celebration when he scored at least showed us some respect.

Good post.

I really, really hate singling players out, especially after a performance like that, but you're spot on about Ste Tyrer.

We were in Edinburgh and speaking to some Cas fans sat behind us in the west stand,they were at the cas v salford game last week .
In their opinion we were the worst team they had ever seen down there ,didnt look interested and clueless,
deja vue....................................

Good weekend spoilt by our tragic weekend yet again










Also did anyone else see holdsworth walk straight off after the final hooter,?

San - re Holdsworth ... it was noticed.

Two issues:

Harrison won nothing from June of the year before he was sacked until he was sacked. The two reasons we did so well was defending on wetter pitches (this stopped when they dried) and Dunneman.

Secondly the only reason we can whinge is that Wilkinson has kept us alive for so long. We are surrounded by boardroom failures: Leigh (check its recent history), Oldham and Rochdale: all in the SuperLeague era. Ask these clubs would they have JW esq. and they would.

We have a fervent support, but far too few, and a very limited future if things continue. Wilko is not young nor in the best of health. If he has to step down, we are goosed. No ground, no money ... Swinton Mk 2.

As I was leaving following the Wakey/Leeds match, I talked to another Red about this. He stated we need another benefactor. Where?

We have to deal with the cards we have been dealt.
And if our cards belong to a "Happy Family" set whilst the opposition hold a full house, then we have to play according to that.

He's right, we do need anther benefactor (in addition to JAW, rather than instead of him).

However, there are plenty of other RL clubs, and an increasingly large number of football league clubs, who also need another benefactor.

The problem is, they are few and far between at the best of times and in the current economic climate they simply don't exist.

Hillbilly Red:

Such a good post, very sad but right to the point!

A few years ago when the forever reds was launched it helped the club in its hour of need, I don't know if the forever reds still as the same impact in sponsoring young players in its ranks today.

I am a member of the forever reds but not active & while we still have a club in the pole position do we the supporters need to dig deeper, do we really care enough!

It seems quite clear now that not just with our club but with others whether football or rugby that a real crisis looms in the financial viability of ours & other sports, it is clear to me we need to ask ourselves what we are prepared to do about it.

It worked so well last season it seems we have decided to employ this tactic again.

You cant afford to get stung with penalitys willy nilly not at superleague level, to be fair its a mixure of lazy play and Dumb decitions from certain players every week, they are like a cashpoint for penalities at times.

If you have to spoil it because A) your not fit enough physically or menatilly to compete at this level or B) Your in the middle of a oneup-manship on the field the message is simple... be better.... dont get stung with the same penalities week in week out because its becoming rather annoying, learn and learn quick regardless if your a 10 year pro or somebody just starting out.
Im sure these individuals they will be off living the dream somewhere in the sun this week rather than nuckling down to wrong the rights of the last few weeks.

Optimist - you've got it spot on

We deliver field position to the opposition game after game - we get walked up the field penalty after penalty - who's fault is that?

Coach - does he not tell them what to expect?

Players - don't they know the rules?

Rule book got chucked out the window going off that humiliating performance , last seen being dumped in a bin pre ko at Cas.

I agree that we are not good enough in almost every dept! I also agree that we are guilty of giving away stupid penalties. However, is everyone in RL really telling me that we are so ill disciplined and that the teams we play against are angels. According to Mr Child, Warrington were square at every play the ball and back the full 10 metres; Morely got through an entire 80 minutes without tackling high as did Ben Westwood ( I think not). Whilst not an excuse for capitulating so badly a penalty count of 12 -3 is always going to be hard to take.

I don't dispute any of the penalties against us. The ref was right to give them. However, if you analyse the scoring in the game, we scored 3 tries without any piggybacks down the field and 4 out Wires first half tries came directly from penalties that got them out of their own half.

A defeat was always going to be the result but the manner of it was at least partly attributable to the constant defensing we had to do (the same was true at Cas in the first half hour too).

Oh and by the way.... look at all the other games this weekend. Even penalty counts in the main and each time there was a kick which resulted in a touch down it was checked by the video ref. Ryan Atkins try wasn't and yet Littler was ruled offside immediately by Mr Child without a look at the screen. Level the playing field and let's see where we stand then!!!! Probably about 30 points down I would say rather than the 52 that it was. At least we scored 3 more than HKR managed eh?

The blame in my opinion should be laid at the players door, yes we all have our beef with Mcrae for serveral different reasons but last time i watched i didnt see Mcrae holding down a opposition player for too long so the rest of the team get back into position because we are knackered and need that extra 2 seconds, if you win "the contact" you can hold the attacker down as long as you want because your in control of the tackle you can wheel them around clamp the ball and get the line set as long as there is movement the referee should not call held, so many times at salford the players fail to win the contact and are left scambling around on the floor while the attacking player usually "buys" the penality by swan diving as he tries to play the ball.

My other bug bear is hiding on the blind side of the play after a play of the ball, if you knackered call for a sub and go off or stay down and roll away preferablly in the direction your supose to defending, you roll that way the attacker will have to run around you on the floor and adjust their line of attack

I do feel the players dont study the rules too much, if you know the rules you can bend them.

I saw mcrae on saturday and he seemed to shrug his shoulders about the whole thing, he can set the team up but if cerain players are getting stung everyweek with certain penalities and not adapting their style so it doesnt happen then there is nothing he can do about it imo.

Some good points there - does anyone have stats for penalty counts this season. I cant remember many games (if any) where we had more than our opponents. I know it doesnt take away from our feeble tackling BUT the figures would be of interest if anyone has them.

Dont blame the Ref.
We were cack.
The defensive line is shocking and why there is no support for Tyrer when it is obvious they always target him is beyond me.
The whole tackling technique apart from one or two exceptions is totally wrong.
This is schoolboy stuff FFS

And where the f**king hell do you think we're going to find someone like that willing to takeover a club that is already a financial weight around the shoulders of those who keep it afloat?


As for everything else... To be honest, I've given up caring. I can't be bothered putting the effort into getting wound up about the players, the coach, poor performances or anything else anymore. Nothing's going to change anytime soon - expect nothing and when something good does happen it feels that extra bit special.

Yep, I'm the same now. Lets just enjoy the year and half we have left in the top division because lets face it we won't be getting in next time round.